Rich Frampton first joined fire service when he was 16 years old. Supposedly, that was in 1972. Frampton officially celebrated his retirement on May 26, 2026, which means he has dedicated 54 years of his life to the fire service.

Frampton started out at Hook & Ladder, where his close friend Jim Gies’s father was also a volunteer firefighter. Frampton explained he took a break when his children were young, but ultimately rejoined and achieved life member status, which requires 20 years of service to a fire company.

Frampton also served as a state fire marshal for Fairfield Hills State Hospital when it was still in operation. After that, he moved to UCONN Health Center to serve as its fire marshal. Then, in 2001, he found himself working in Newtown as a part-time deputy fire marshal. Frampton became the fire marshal in 2016.

Frampton said the 54 years of service makes him feel “old,” but he added a chuckle at the end. He reflected on some of the changes that he has seen over the years, like the equipment and way that response has changed.

“When we started, we had rubber boots, rubber coats, plastic helmet, orange gloves,” Frampton said. Now, the suits are made out of Nomex, a flame-retardant material. He also said that firefighters used to have Plectrons in their houses.

Frampton added, “We had Plectrons in our house, and when that went off, it was usually a fire. Today, it’s more automatic alarms. I can’t remember how many calls we did a year. If we did 50 it might have been a lot, but it was always fire.”

Frampton explained that when he was younger, there were no medical assists — a fire call was for an actual fire. Gies added, too, “As a town’s population increased, the volume of fire calls have increased.” Gies also explained that when they started, there were only six air packs in the station. Now, there are 26.

Frampton then grabbed an old book that was printed celebrating Hook & Ladder. At 23 years old, Frampton was first assistant chief at Hook & Ladder. Gies said it was because Frampton is “a natural at it.”

Frampton said he enjoyed protecting the safety of the population and will not miss getting up early in the morning, even though many of his peers, and his wife, said he will probably get up early anyway. He does not plan to move away as he has grandfatherly duties to tend to once he officially retires on July 6.

Gies and Frampton both said that the town is always looking for new volunteer firefighters, but warned “you gotta really be committed.”

At his celebration, First Engineer for Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Tim Whelan shared a few words. He thanked Frampton for his “lifetime of service” and said, “We’re gonna miss him.”

Nancy Schreiner, administrative assistant to Frampton, added, “Personally, I’m really going to miss Rich.” She and Frampton started around the same time. LeReine Frampton, the missus, said that the two have “had each other’s back for a long time.” Schreiner said Frampton is like “a staple” in the Office of the Fire Marshal.

The first selectman came and read a proclamation to Frampton recognizing his time and service to the town. After the proclamation was read, Frampton added that he “enjoyed doing it for [his] whole life.”

“When you enjoy it, it’s not work,” Frampton said.

Gies said, “For Rich, it wasn’t a job, it was a career. There’s a difference.”

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.